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Will Ole Miss remove the state flag from campus?

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Students leaders will vote whether to remove the state flag, which features the Confederate Battle Flag, from campus

The vote is on a nonbinding resolution

Confederate symbols and tributes have fallen under increased scrutiny in the South

Oxford, Mississippi (CNN)Change often comes slowly at the University of Mississippi in Oxford, where tradition is revered.

But student leaders could challenge the status quo this week when they vote whether to remove the state flag from campus. The design features the Confederate Battle Flag.

"We are forever tied to the horrors of our past," said Allen Coon, a sophomore leading the effort to take the flag down.

"We've flown this symbol of oppression. We've defended it. We fought for it, and it's time to recognize that that was a mistake," he said.

Confederate symbols and tributes have fallen under increased scrutiny in the South since the killings of nine African-Americans Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina, in June.

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Photos:Charleston church shooting

Photos:Charleston church shooting

In this image from the video uplink from the detention center to the courtroom, Dylann Roof appears at a bond hearing June 19, 2015, in South Carolina. Roof is charged with nine counts of murder and firearms charges in the shooting deaths at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina on June 17.

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Dylann Roof, the 21-year-old charged with murdering nine people in a church shooting on Wednesday, June 17, is escorted by police in Shelby, North Carolina, on Thursday, June 18.

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Law enforcement officers in Charleston, South Carolina, stand guard near the scene of the shooting at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church.

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A police officer directs a police vehicle in front of the church on June 18.

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Two law enforcement officials said Roof confessed. Roof said he wanted to start a race war, one of the officials said.

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Police in Charleston close off a section of Calhoun Street early on June 18, after the shooting. The steeple of the church is visible in the background.

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Charleston police officers search for the shooting suspect outside the church on Wednesday, June 17.

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People in Charleston pray following the shooting on June 17.

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A woman joins a prayer circle on June 17.

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A man kneels across the street from where police gathered outside the church on June 17.

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Police gather at the scene of the shooting on June 17. The church was formed in 1816.

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People pray in a hotel parking lot across the street from the scene of the shooting on June 17. Every Wednesday evening, the church holds a Bible study in its basement.

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An armed police officer moves up Calhoun Street on June 17.

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People gather after the shooting.

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Police stand outside the church.

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Police close off a section of Calhoun Street near the scene of the shooting.

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Police in Charleston released this security-camera image that they say shows Roof entering the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church.

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There have been calls in the past for Mississippi to change its flag -- a call that was echoed in a statement from Ole Miss.

"As a state institution, we fly the flags representing our state and nation. However, as a university committed to fostering a welcoming and inclusive campus for all students, we continue to join other leaders in Mississippi to encourage our government to change the state flag," the school said.

At least three of the state's public universities already do not fly the flag.

Tuesday's vote is on a nonbinding resolution. It faces some opposition.

In an online petition that had garnered 199 signatures by Sunday, student Andrew Soper wrote that "removing symbols, flags and monuments will do nothing to change the way people feel in their hearts."

"Ole Miss Students and my fellow Mississippians, rise up and push back on political correctness and support the state flag," he implored.

But Coon insists the vote doesn't have to be divisive.

"Why can't we get behind this? Why can't we understand that this is something that affects people every day that they go to class," he said. "If it doesn't pass, we'll find a way."

Nick Valencia reported this story from Oxford. Dana Ford reported and wrote this story from Atlanta. CNN's Devon Sayers also contributed to this report.